The Roaring Lion
by Kitten With A Tie
Summary: Lionblaze had been blamed for the murder of Heathertail. His brother and three friends have come with him into exile. Bramblestar is not finished with him. StarClan has chosen another path for Lionblaze as leader of LionClan.
1. Chapter 01: Poisoned Mice

**Chapter 1**

_Lionblaze woke up with a jolt. _Pale orange and pink light streamed into the den, and he squinted. "Oh, StarClan," he murmured. "Brambleclaw will have my tail if I'm late for the dawn patrol!" He raced out of the den, and entered an unfamiliar clearing. His eyes widened. Where was everyone? Then, the events that happened the previous night suddenly rammed into his mind.

"_You are exiled for the murder of Heathertail."_

_Cheers erupted from the crowd, along with wails of sadness and anger._

"_B-but I didn't do it!" Lionblaze stammered. "I swear on StarClan!"_

_Bramblestar's cold amber eyes burned into him. "If you are seen on our territory again," he snarled, "then we will have no choice but to kill you."_

_Lionblaze faced his Clan with wide eyes. Angry, merciless eyes started right back, hard and cold. His throat tightened as his gaze wafted over Dovewing, Cinderheart, Icecloud, Ivypool… he just couldn't leave them!_

"_Wait!" Icecloud called. Lionblaze looked at her curiously. "I will go with him into exile!"_

"_Me too!" Cinderheart and Icecloud yelled._

_Bramblestar bared his teeth. "Traitors!" he spat. "Get out of my Clan!"_

_Dovewing faced Ivypool. "Come with us," she insisted. "ThunderCLan is turning into an evil, heartless Clan. You do not belong here."_

_Ivypool had looked around with giant, scared eyes. She was afraid. Afraid of what would happen to her if she went with her exiled Clanmates. She squirmed away from Dovewing. "I'm sorry, Dovewing," she said. "But Lionblaze murdered Heathertail. You should face it." She jerked her head away. "Why don't _you _stay with us? For all we know, Lionblaze will be leading you to your deaths!"_

_Dovewing growled. "You have changed, sister. You have turned into the darkness." Ivypool snorted and went over to sit beside Bumblestripe, who was looking at Dovewing sadly. Dovewing turned and padded over to the tunnel where Cinderheart and Icecloud were waiting._

"_I will go as well," Jayfeather called, his blind eyes glowing._

"_What?" snarled Bramblestar. "You are my medicine cat. I will not allow you to leave." _I can't believe it, _Lionblaze thought. _My own brother, giving up everything he worked for… just for me.

"_I am no longer your medicine cat," Jayfeather growled. "My destiny is not with ThunderClan anymore!" But Lionblaze knew why Jayfeather was coming with him into exile. They were the Three, and could not be separated. Jayfeather ignored the snarls and hisses that were aimed towards him as he strolled over to Dovewing, Cinderheart, and Icecloud._

"_Goodbye, ThunderClan," Lionblaze called. They spat at him. Leafpool and Squirrelflight rushed over to him as he jumped from the Highledge._

"_Oh, my son," Leafpool murmured. "I know you didn't do it. Bramblestar is a fool."_

"_Good luck, Lionblaze," Squirrelflight said, nudging him under his chin. "May StarClan be with you."_

"_StarClan," Lionblaze repeated, curling his lip slightly. "StarClan no longer walks in my path."_

_Leafpool shook her head. "No. They have not given up on you. They have just chosen another path for you."_

_The golden tabby sighed. "I'm sorry, Leafpool. Goodbye, mother." Leafpool wailed in grief as she watched her son pad to his former Clanmates and exit the tunnel._

Lionblaze sighed as he watched the rising sun. Leaf-bare would be here soon, and he had no Clan, no home, and the only friends he had were grumpy Jayfeather, Cinderheart, Icecloud, and Dovewing. Dovewing's powers would be rather useful, and Jayfeather could find herbs just in case a cat got sick. Cinderheart was an expert with herbs, since she was the reincarnation of Cinderpelt…

"Hello." A voice made Lionblaze jump, and he turned his head to see Icecloud standing in the mouth of the den.

"Hi," Lionblaze said. Icecloud walked over and sat down beside him. Her sweet scent wreathed around him, relaxing him slightly. Icecloud turned her paw over, revealing the cut, raw pads.

"They feel like I was walking on rocks that were sitting on the sun for twelve moons," she admitted. She placed her paw on the ground, wincing. They had been exiled two days ago, and the cats had walked for two days straight, only stopping to hunt or to sleep.

"Maybe we can head back the way we came," Lionblaze suggested.

"What?"

"Back to the old territories."

Icecloud snorted. "You mouse-brain! Its Leaf-fall and it'll be Leaf-bare soon. We can't risk traveling over the mountains!"

Lionblaze looked at his paws sheepishly. It had been very foolish of him to suggest that they travel back to the old territories. Besides, none of them knew where the old territories were, except for the cats that had traveled on the Great Journey.

Lionblaze's belly cramped. "We'd better start hunting," he meowed. "We all know how hungry Jayfeather gets…"

"I heard that," a grumpy voice snapped, and a blue-gray tabby head popped out of the den. Both cats jumped and looked at the medicine cat in surprise.

"For a blind cat, he moves fast," Icecloud muttered to Lionblaze, causing him to chuckle.

"I'm right here, you know!" Jayfeather growled, sitting on Lionblaze's left. "Well, you two are right. I am very hungry." He waved a paw. "Now, why don't you two warriors go and catch some prey."

Icecloud bristled, but Lionblaze nudged her shoulder. "He's just trying to be funny," Lionblaze insisted. Icecloud growled, but nodded her head. "Go wake up Cinderheart and Dovewing," he advised. "Then we'll have a _real _hunting patrol." Icecloud darted into the den, and appeared a moment later with two sleepy she-cats on her tail.

"What?" Cinderheart asked irritably.

"Time to hunt," Lionblaze said cheerfully.

That seemed to wake her up. "Really? Me and you?"

Lionblaze flicked an ear. "Why? We don't know anybody or where we are at all. I believe we should all go hunting together… even you, Jayfeather."

Jayfeather grumbled. "I haven't hunted in seasons, Lionblaze." Lionblaze began to say something, but Jayfeather waved him off. "But, hey, I'm not getting any younger. Let's go."

-x-

The cats returned with rather plump prey; two mice, a vole, and a thin squirrel. They split the prey among themselves and gobbled down the prey. "So," Icecloud meowed, licking mice remains from her whiskers, "where should we head next?"

Lionblaze twitched his whiskers. Behind the den was a slope that led to some kind of forest. He had only ventured a few mouse-lengths in before turning tail and racing out. What can I say, nobody likes dark places.

"I guess… there's a forest behind the den," he said, thinking fast. His Clanmate's intense stares were on him expectantly. "We can see if there's some kind of... shelter in there, or something."

The cats murmured their approval. "What if there's a fox in there?" Cinderheart demanded, pressing herself against Dovewing, who was chewing up a vole. "Or a badger?" she pressed harder against Dovewing, causing her to squeak in protest. "Or… a giant cat-eating monster?" She pushed Dovewing so hard that the she-cat fell over, and Cinderheart was lying on top of the young cat.

"Cinderheart, you're killing Dovewing," Lionblaze said with a chuckle. Cinderheart glanced at the cat scrambling beneath her before letting up the she-cat. Dovewing gasped for breath before continuing to gnaw on the vole's tiny bones.

Jayfeather got up and stretched. "Alright. Anybody need any herbs?" Icecloud offered her paw, showing off the cracked pads. "Okay, you'll need some yarrow, or-"

"Coltsfoot, or dock," Cinderheart finished. "I saw some when we were hunting." She looked at Lionblaze hopefully, who was instead watching Icecloud with worry in his eyes.

"Will she be able to walk?" Lionblaze demanded.

Jayfeather snorted. "Her paw isn't broken, you mouse-brain."

Lionblaze faced Cinderheart. "Could you get some of those herbs you saw?" he asked.

Cinderheart gritted her teeth. "Sure, Lionblaze. Whatever you say!" She bounded off.

-x-

After Icecloud's pads were treated, the cats padded into the forest. Yeah, it was dark. Did it scare the fur off of Dovewing? Yeah. Every time the wind blew, she would squeak and leap away like a bee had just stung her. It was pretty easy to prank her, since pretty much just stepping on a twig would freak her out. But, the joke was over as soon as it started since Dovewing could just stretch out her senses to see what the problem was.

A twig snapped. Dovewing glared at Lionblaze, who was at the back with Icecloud at his side. "Stop that!" she growled.

Lionblaze looked at her. "Stop what?"

"Snapping twigs! I heard you!"

"Dovewing… it wasn't me."

Dovewing's pelt suddenly prickled. "Quick!" she hissed. "Into that bush." The cats dove into the nearest bush, which just happened to be filled with thorns.

"I feel like every thorn in the forest is on me," Icecloud complained, but was shushed by Lionblaze when he stuffed his tail into her mouth.

A few moments later, a cat stepped out. Its fur was pale gray, striped with darker stripes. Its eyes were a frightening blue, and there was a scar on his throat. Hanging in the cat's mouth was a plump mouse.

"When I say mouse," Lionblaze murmured. "Pounce on that cat." The cat's all prepared to leap on the cat. "Mouse!" Lionblaze shrieked, and all the cats leaped. They landed on the cat with a loud thud, and he instantly buckled beneath their weight.

"Hey!" the cat squealed. "Get off of me!"

"Who are you?" spat Lionblaze. Jayfeather was a little ways off, his blind eyes glistening.

"M-my name is Spo!" he stammered. "Please don't kill me!" He dropped the mouse, as if that was what they were after. "H-here! Have my dinner!"

"We don't want your dinner," Cinderheart growled. "Just tell us where we are."

"Y-you're in the north woods," whimpered Spo. "There are giant yellow dens in a field that are far from the forest.. . I've never seen them, but cats that have been there warned me to never go near it." _Yellow dens? Oh, yeah, Twoleg dens._

"Do you live around here?" Icecloud asked gently.

Spo shook his head. "No.. I don't live anywhere. I just wander around."

Lionblaze glanced at the others. "We could live here. There's prey," he added, with a nod at Spo who was trembling beneath them. "And there's not a lot of cats."

"Wait!" Spo protested. He instantly shrunk underneath Lionblaze's curious amber gaze. "Um, a few cats live around here. They.. they're not very mean. They're like me; plump and weak. I think. I haven't seen them in a while."

Lionblaze nodded. "Okay, then. Let's get off of him." The cats climbed off of the trembling tom, and he instantly dashed away, leaving behind the wiry brown mouse.

"Should we eat it?" Icecloud asked, staring at the mouse.

"I'm not," Dovewing said. "StarClan knows where that tom has been." She wiped her paws on the soft grass beneath their paws.

"Well, I'm not going to waste a perfectly good meal!" Cinderheart dug into the mouse, and the cats watched, waiting for her to blow up or something. Nothing happened. Cinderheart licked the remains from her whiskers and looked at Lionblaze. "You should've joined me," she said. "That was the best thing I've ever eaten! It was very-" Her words were cut off when she let out an ear-splitting scream. She collapsed on her side, squirming and gasping.

"That tom drugged the mouse," Dovewing yelped, staring at her Clanmate who writhed at their paws.

"Dovewing, Icecloud, you go find him," Lionblaze growled. The two she-cats nodded and dashed away, disappearing into the bushes. "Jayfeather… what can you do?" The blue tom didn't answer. He was massaging Cinderheart's belly.

"We need yarrow," Jayfeather growled, his blind eyes locked on the wailing she-cat. "And lots of it. I don't know how much of that stuff the tom put in the mouse." Lionblaze nodded and raced away.

_Yarrow. Yarrow. Yarrow… great StarClan, what does it smell like? _At the edge of his gaze, he spotted some kind of… ball of light. He turned to face it. It was as blue as the sky, and he saw two pairs of amber eyes staring at him from the shining ball of brightness.

_Come this way, young kit. _Lionblaze instantly followed the light. It drifted away, leaving a trail of some kind of waves behind. It led him through bushes, dissolving through the leaves, leaving Lionblaze to trample through them like some kind of blind badger.

_This way. _The light murmured, sparkling. Lionblaze was hypnotized by it, his amber eyes glazed over and fixed intently on the ball of energy.

_Here. _The ball of light stopped over a flower. The leaves were brilliant yellow, and the stem was thick and plump.

"Thank you," Lionblaze whispered. The words hardly left his lips before the eyes of in the ball of fire nodded at him, and then disappeared into the sky. He grabbed the yarrow in his teeth and raced back in the direction he came.

He was surprised by the scene he saw. For one, Cinderheart was laying on her side, eyes closed and pelt rising and falling. Dovewing and Icecloud were holding down a screaming and squirming Spo with Jayfeather glaring at him.

"Let me go!" shrieked Spo. "I-I didn't poison the mouse!"

"Oh, yes you did," snarled Dovewing. Icecloud held Spo's scruff while Dovewing kept his hindquarters pinned to the ground. "Playing innocent! We saw you leave that mouse on 'accident.' You even offered it to us!" She tweaked her claws on Spo's tail, causing the tom to yelp. "Now, tell us why you tried to kill Cinderheart!"

Lionblaze had never seen the she-cat so angry. He guessed it was because she had been forced to leave Ivypool behind, and Cinderheart had been the closest thing to Ivypool she had. Lionblaze stepped out of the bushes, the yarrow clamped firmly in his jaws. "Enough," he yowled. Spo stopped squirming, and his three Clanmates glanced up at him curiously. "Is this how ThunderClan warriors act?" he spat, stalking towards Dovewing, whose eyes were still gleaming with fury. He glared at Spo, who was staring at Lionblaze, trembling. "Did you poison the mouse?" he demanded, pressing a paw on the tom's throat.

Spo squeaked softly before shaking his head, eyes wide with fright. Lionblaze sighed. "Very well. Release him." Icecloud dropped Spo's scruff, and the tom's head hit the leaves with a small thud. Dovewing reluctantly let go of the tom, but she shot him one more fierce glare before padding over and sniffing at Cinderheart's still pelt. Spo got to his paws and raced away, his paws barely touching the forest floor beneath him.

"She's sleeping," Jayfeather meowed to Dovewing, who had curled up beside the sleeping she-cat. "I managed to get most of the poison out of her system with the little herbs I managed to find." Lionblaze dropped the yarrow at Jayfeather's paws. The tom's blind eyes gleamed as he lowered his head to grab the yarrow. He chewed it up and placed it inside of Cinderheart's mouth. The she-cat's eyes fluttered open and she stared at Jayfeather for a moment before her belly convulsed. She groaned and hunched over, and vile smelling slime splattered over the leaves.

Jayfeather patted her side. "Good," he said. He looked at the slime and made a face. Lionblaze guessed that he was disgusted by the smell. Bits of mouse fur and tufts of Cinderheart's fur were in the pile of slime. "Cinderheart, when was the last time you hacked up a fur-ball?"

Cinderheart looked confused. "I dunno. Four days ago."

"Maybe that was it. Maybe you just needed to hack up that fur."

Cinderheart dug her claws into the soil. "I doubt it. I felt as if a cat was clawing up my belly from the inside."

Lionblaze looked defiant. "Well, I believe Spo," he declared. "He looked scared out of his mind. I believe him."

"Me too," Icecloud said. "Besides, we were acting like rouges, pinning him down and clawing at his fur. I am deeply ashamed by what I did." She bowed her head and her lips moved, and Lionblaze copied her, murmuring a prayer to StarClan.

"I feel much better!" Cinderheart said loudly. "Let's go!" She bounded forward without waiting for a reply. The cats had discussed it: this forest was too dangerous for them to stay in. Besides, Spo could still pose a threat, since they didn't really know if he had poisoned the mouse or not.

"Alright then," Lionblaze said. "Let's get going." He waited patiently for Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Icecloud to pass. He had decided to stay at the back, so if a cat would attack, they would have to deal with _him _first. Lionblaze couldn't help but notice Dovewing's silence. She had been quiet ever since Spo had run away.

Could she be wanting to return back to ThunderClan? _No. _They would never let her back in the Clan, ever since all she has done.

a) Left the Clans

b) Tried to convince Ivypool to come

c) She took Lionblaze's side

d) Bramblestar never trusted her

e) Ivypool probably told every cat who would listen about Dovewing's power, and that she had seen Tigerheart for most of her aprenticeship.

So, Dovewing would never get back in ThunderClan. Any Clan, to be precise. Unless... the fur on Lionblaze's back prickled. _Wecould start our own Clan. _They were far from the regular territories, so they wouldn't have to worry about any unprovoked attacks. Spo was far behind, unless he was following them, and if they found a camp, Lionblaze would make sure it was safe.

Lionblaze decided that he would tell his Clanmates tonight that they needed to start their own Clan. For Firestar. For Squirrelflight. For Hollyleaf.

_For Leafpool!_

_-x-_

Sorry, a rather suckish ending.

Leafpool, Brambleclaw, Firestar, Squirrelflight, Hollyleaf, Ivypool, Bramblestar, Dovewing, Icecloud, Cinderheart and other cats (c) Erin Hunter

Spo (c) Kitten With A Tie

Don't worry, this is not the end of Spo.

Remember to review, follow, and favorite!


	2. Chapter 02: Recruiting Members

**OMG so many reviews! Thanks, you guys! By the way, this may sound a little bit like what Firestar did with SkyClan.**

**Chapter 2**

_"What?" cried Icecloud. _Lionblaze had just told them about starting a Clan. They had found a suitable camp, which looked just like the camp they had stayed at. The cats had caught prey and were eating it when Lionblaze broke the news to them.

"We can't possibly start a Clan!" Dovewing protested.

"I think we can," Cinderheart said, shooting a glare at Icecloud, who was staring at Lionblaze doubtfully.

"Before we even think about starting a Clan," meowed Jayfeather, his blind gaze sweeping over them, "we don't even have a place to visit StarClan."

"We have the Moonpool," said Cinderheart.

"That's Clan territory," Icecloud reminded her.

"If we start a Clan, then we will be allowed to use it," Cinderheart shot back.

"I think we can," Lionblaze said confidently.

"Me too!" declared Dovewing.

"I think we can, too," Icecloud said.

"We can do it!" Cinderheart said loudly.

"Well, I'm not going to let you do it alone," Jayfeather said with a purr, which was something he hardly did. "I'll be your medicine cat."

"What should the name be?" Dovewing asked, glancing at Lionblaze.

Lionblaze smiled. "LionClan," he declared.

"LionClan," Cinderheart repeated.

"I like it," purred Icecloud. "It has a nice ring to it."

"Very well," Jayfeather said, dipping his head. "But, we are not a Clan without a few more members. To the others, we are just a band of rouges. We need to go to those Twoleg dens and recruit some cats."

**.**

"Jayfeather," Lionblaze meowed. "You and Dovewing stay here." Dovewing began to protest, but Lionblaze said, "Dovewing, you're the youngest, and Jayfeather is blind. If we let you come with us to the Twolegplace, I'd bet four rabbits that one of you could get hurt."

Jayfeather looked fine. "Okay, Lionblaze."

Dovewing, however, grumbled, clearly annoyed, but followed Jayfeather as he led her away. In the camp, there was a giant rocky wall. Jayfeather had decided to make his den in a hollow that was in the rocky wall.

"Let's go," Lionblaze instructed. He kinked his tail, and the two she-cats followed him.

**.**

They reached the Twolegplace in a few hours. It was rather quiet in the Twolegplace, with only a few monsters racing across the Thunderpath. "Well," Lionblaze said. "We'll have to split up."

"What?" gasped Icecloud and Cinderheart at the same time.

"You heard me," Lionblaze meowed. "It'll take a few sunrises for us to just get three of these dens." It was true – it looked like a speck from far away, but the Twolegplace stretched for what looked like a sky lengths. Giant, wooden fences separated the dens, and they were really tall.

"Alright," Icecloud meowed with a sigh. "Wish me luck." She touched her nose to Lionblaze's before bounding off.

"Good luck!" Cinderheart meowed. She turned and raced in the opposite direction of Icecloud. Lionblaze flexed his legs and went to the left, opposite of both of the she-cats.

He scrambled up the nearest fence and stood on his perch, looking at the den's clearing. It was empty, with only some kind of green snake laying in the yard. Lionblaze cringed. The snake's muzzle was yellow and narrow, and it's tail was connected to some kind of nose thing on the den. However, the snake didn't move. It's eyes were ridges, connected to the narrow yellow thing.

"Hey!" a voice yowled. Lionblaze jumped in surprise. He spun around on the fence to see a small brown tabby she-cat glaring up at him. Her blue eyes gleamed with anger and hostility. Around her neck was a kittypet collar, and her fur was sleek and glossy.

"Hello," Lionblaze said.

"What are you doing on my fence?" snarled the she-cat. She bristled, arching her back. She didn't look threatening at all. Lionblaze admired her courage.

"I am looking for cats to join my Clan," he said.

"So?" the she-cat growled, her lips pulled back to reveal her small sharp teeth. "I don't want to join your Clan."

"We will be strong together," he insisted. "Cats that live in a group will be safe from enemy cats."

The cat snorted. "So, if I wanted to join…"

"LionClan."

"LionClan," she continued, "what's in it for me?"

"Food," Lionblaze said immediately. "Protection."

"Hmmm…" the cat looked interested, but the emotion only stayed for a moment. "Alright, I'm in. My name is Minnie."

"Great!" purred Lionblaze. "Tomorrow at moonhigh, near the rocky gorge."

Minnie nodded and jumped on the fence. She brushed past Lionblaze and leaped down into the clearing and raced to the den door. A Twoleg appeared and picked her up. He could hear her purrs and wrinkled his nose in disgust. The Twoleg suddenly yowled, and Lionblaze scrambled away.

He moved onto the next den. There, he found a skinny, black tom laying on the porch. His pelt gleamed in the sun, and Lionblaze knew this would be easy.

"Hello!" Lionblaze called.

The thin tom jumped and stared at Lionblaze with round, amber eyes. "H-hello," stammered the tom.

"Would you like to join LionClan?" Lionblaze asked. He quickly explained everything he had said to Minnie to him.

"T-that sounds nice," the black tom said, getting up. "C-can I come today?"

Lionblaze shook his head. "No. There's going to be a meeting tomorrow at moonhigh at the rocky gorge. Do you know where that is?"

The bony tom nodded. "Y-yes. I hunt there s-sometimes."

Lionblaze smiled. "Great! I'll see you there." He moved on to the next fence. He was on a roll today! Lionblaze was at the next fence, and sat there, waiting. He saw a grey tabby emerge from the Twoleg den. At once, the tom spotted Lionblaze. He was stocky and stout with broad shoulders and head. His green eyes narrowed into slits.

"And why are you on my territory?" the tom snarled. Unlike other kittypets, he was covered with battle scars.

"Would you like to join LionClan?" He explained again, wondering if this strong tabby would join the Clan. He expected the tom to decline, since his belly was plump and round, despite the battle scars and stocky body. "Soooo," Lionblaze finished awkwardly. "Do you want to join?"

"Yes," the tom said. "My Twolegs treat me like a toy, grabbing my tail and pulling my ears. These scars are from when something would break and it would cut me. I'm so stocky because I'm always having to run from them!"

_Oh, _Lionblaze thought, disappointed. Turns out the tom only looked so fit because of the way his Twolegs treated him. "Okay, then," Lionblaze said, dipping his head. "Go to the rocky gorge tomorrow at moonhigh."

"Farewell!" the tom called. Lionblaze began to go to the next fence, but the tom called, "I wouldn't go there if I were you."

"What do you mean?" Lionblaze asked.

"There's a really scary she-cat who lives there," the tom said. "She attacks any cat who even just looks at her territory!"

Lionblaze shrugged. "Okay, whatever." He imagined it just being a scrawny cat who just snarled at cats and clawed at them, but not brutally mauled them.

"Good luck to you!" the tom called before disappearing back into the den.

Lionblaze descended to the next fence. The grass there was brown and rotten, and the smell of rotting carcasses filled his nose. _Smells like ShadowClan. _The Twoleg den's fur was peeling off, and the porch had many holes in it.

"Who are you?" a cat suddenly yowled. Lionblaze looked down to see a rather small orange cat glaring up at him with coldness in her eyes. Scars covered her, and over one of her eyes was a painful scar.

"I am Lionblaze," he meowed. "I wish to invite you to join LionClan."

"And why would I want to join that?" snarled the she-cat.

Lionblaze quickly explained, and the scorn on the she-cat's face seemed to grow with every word he spoke. "Enough!" she spat when he was mid-explaining. "When do you invite cats to your home?"

"Tomorrow, at moonhigh at the rocky gorge," he said. "Why? Will you be there?"

"Maybe," the she-cat said, a sly look in her eyes. "Maybe not." Her eyes slitted. "Now, get out of here before I claw your whiskers off!"

Lionblaze smiled. He knew the grumpy she-cat would make a good addition to LionClan if she joined.

**.**

Lionblaze was exhausted. The whole day, he had went from fence to fence, telling cats about LionClan. It seemed as if every Twoleg here owned a cat. His paws were sore from walking all day, and his pads felt cut and bruised from walking on the fence. Only ten cats had declined his offer. Either that, or a dog leaped out of the den instead of a cat and barked furiously at him.

He met Icecloud and Cinderheart at where they had entered the Twolegplace at. "Any luck?" he asked.

"Yep!" Cinderheart meowed. "I recruited eleven cats."

"I managed to get eight," Icecloud meowed guiltily. "Most of them tried to claw my ears off." She smirked. "I showed them."

"I got about twelve," Lionblaze meowed. He stretched his aching muscles and licked his cut pads. "Now! Let's get back to camp and tell Jayfeather and Dovewing about what we managed to accomplish."

**.**

**HOLY CRAP. Sorry for the short chapter, kind of brain dead! We're going to skip to Moonhigh at the next chapter.**

**Remember to review! Accepting OCs, please send them to me through PM or your review will be ignored and your cat will not be in the story.**


	3. Chapter 03: New Warriors

**A/N: Thank you, Foxstar – Leader of FoxClan and Firelight! Another big thanks to the people who PM'd me OCS. And, Firelight, one of the reasons I'm accepting your OC is because you're a guest and you can't send PMs.**

**.**

"_Do you think they'll come?" _Dovewing asked Icecloud. It was sunset, and the sun was casting an orange shadow across the rocky gorge, turning the rocks a dark shade of orange-grey. Lionblaze was enjoying a mouse, and Jayfeather was carrying a bundle of herbs.

"What do you mean?" Icecloud asked as she groomed her paws.

"The cats," Dovewing said. "The ones that you three recruited."

"Oh." Icecloud looked thoughtful. "Most of them will probably come. I don't know." She looked at the sun as it set. "We'll just have to wait and see."

Dovewing sighed impatiently. "I hope they do come. I can't wait to meet the new cats!" She dashed away, leaving Icecloud to groom herself in peace

**.**

The moon rose. Lionblaze's paws twitched with excitement. On the rocky wall, just above the medicine den was a rocky ledge. There was a tumble of rocks thet formed a bridge. Lionblaze sat on the perch, looking at the entrance of the camp, which was a bundle of trees. He spotted Dovewing carrying a mouse to the fresh-kill pile with Icecloud at her side, carrying a thin rabbit. Cinderheart was grooming herself near the warriors den - a oversized bramble bush.

"Did you see any cats when you were out hunting?" Lionblaze called to the two she-cats.

"No," Icecloud answered, dropping the rabbit.

Lionblaze sighed, glancing at the moon. The full moon cast a pale grey shadow across the gorge, turning it silver. The Clans would be Gathering tonight. He wondered if any cat missed him, besides Leafpool and Squirrelflight.

A head suddenly appeared, poking out of the trees. He noticed the gleaming blue eyes. _Minnie._

Minnie squeezed past the trees and padded into the gorge, her tail high and nose wrinkled. "So," she meowed. "Is this where your so called camp is?" A skinny black tom was behind her, his eyes wide as he scanned the clearing.

"Yes," Lionblaze meowed. "You." The black tom jumped and stared at Lionblaze, his eyes wide with fright. "What is your name?"

"M-my name is B-bramble," the tom stammered. "B-but my Twolegs called me Blackie."

"Well, Bramble," Lionblaze said, his eyes gleaming as he remembered Bramblestar, "you don't have to act so scared. We're not going to hurt you."

Bramble looked slightly reassured and followed Minnie. They sat near the ledge, and Minnie bent her head and the two started murmuring. Lionblaze wondeed what they were talking about.

More cats appeared - about ten. Not as much as they had recruited. Lionblaze saw the gray tom from yesterday, and the mean orange tabby as well. He smiled as their eyes met, and she acknowledged him with a nod. He nodded back, and tore his gaze away to survey the rest of the cats.

When they settled down, he yowled, "May the meeting begin!"

The cats all blinked, but their gazes rested on him. He shuddered with excitement and fear. He felt as if he was really a leader .

"All of you, welcome to LionClan," he meowed. "We live by a code." He quickly explained the code, what it meant, and that you should never break it. One cat got up and left, and Lionblaze screwed up his nose.

"Your age will affect Clan life. Kits names will end with 'kit, and when the kit reaches six moons, the end of their name ends with 'paw. They require a mentor. A mentor is a cat who teaches them about Clan life, how to hunt, and how to fight."

"How to fight?" a cat repeated. He noticed it was Bramble.

"Yes," he said. "We have a territory. Any cat who enters our territory should be chased off, or taken back to camp for questioning."

Bramble nodded, trembling a little. Minnie nudged him.

"Every full moon, like tonight, we will sit here and discuss Clan life and such. Back at the lake territories, there were four Clans. There was an island that we would go to and share news. That was the only night there would be peace between the Clans." His claws scratched the stone beneath his paws. "But, never make friends with other Clans," he hissed. "It will stab you in the back later."

The cats below murmured, obviously curious. Icecloud, Dovewing, Cinderheart, and Jayfeather cringed, their eyes glazed over.

"There is a medicine cat," Lionblaze continued. "That is Jayfeather, over there." Jayfeather's blind eyes narrowed, but he dipped his head. "He heals the injured and sick."

"But he's blind!" protested a cat. Lionblaze realized it was the orange cat.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Jayfeather spat, "You don't need eyes to heal, mouse-brain. All I need is my nose and hearing to cure cats."

The orange cat bared her teeth, and Lionblaze quickly meowed, "He's allowed to take an apprentice. Medicine cats are not allowed to have mates or kits, for it will interfere with their healing."

"But that's not fair!" yowled Minnie. "What if the medicine cat is male?"

"You don't see my point," Lionblaze said. "If Jayfeather was to have a mate and have kits, then he would always be in the nursery or fretting over his mate. Other cats could be sick or wounded, and he would be too busy with his mate to know."

"Like I'd ever have a mate," Jayfeather spat.

Lionblaze rolled his eyes and continued. "Medicine cats are allowed to take apprentices. Medicine cats train their apprentices until they are ready for their full name. Unlike regular apprentices, they will be named at the Moonpool before sharing tongues with StarClan."

"StarClan?" a cat called. "What's that?"

"They are our ancestors," mewed Lionblaze, flicking his tail towards the sky. "Look. You can see them now." It was Silverpelt, with the StarClan warriors dotting the sky.

"What is a Moonpool?" asked another cat.

"The Moonpool is a pool that we go to to share tongues with StarClan," explained Lionblaze. "Every one of you will get a chance to meet StarClan."

"I heard there were deputies," a cat meowed. "What are those? What do they do?"

"Deputies are second in command," said Lionblaze. "They organize patrols and help their leader make decisions. When their leader dies or retires, the go to the Moonpool and recieve their nine lives, and their name now ends with 'star."

"Nine lives?" the organge cat again. Her eyes sparked with interest.

"Yes," Lionblaze mewed. He was slightly uncomfortable by the way her green eyes gleamed with interest and the way her tail was twitching eagerly. "Leaders use their lives to serve and defend their Clan only. It shall not be used for power or descruction."

As he finished explaining Clan life and such, only two more cats had left. Only seven remained.

"I am guessing you are the cats who wish to become LionClan cats?" Lionblaze asked.

"Yes!" they howled eagerly.

"What are your names?" Lionblaze meowed.

"My name is Kemo," a she-cat meowed. She was pale grey with haunting golden eyes.

"I am Poppy!" a cat squeaked. She was small, about eight moons. Her fur was brown, and she had a long, pluming tail. "I want to become a medicine cat!"

Jayfeather looked slightly surprised. Cinderheart nudged him, and Icecloud gave him a teasing nip.

The gray tabby tom stepped forward. "My name is Thorn," he said. "I would gladly like to become a warrior."

"Us, too!" Minnie said. A eager Bramble stood beside her, thei tails lashing back and forth.

"I am Red," a dark brown tabby said. He had dark green eyes, and looked like Bramble. "I wish to join LionClan as well."

"I am Ember," the orange tabby said gruffly. "I'll join your little Clan."

"Kemo," Lionblaze meowed. "Come here." **(Quick A/N: making up a random cermeony. don't mind me. lololol)**

Kemo scrambled up onto the ledge. "Kemo, you are a new warrior who has come to join LionClan. Do you promise to follow the warrior code? Say I do," he added in a whisper.

"I do," Kemo said.

"Then, from this moment on, you will be known as Silentclaw. May StarClan follow you in your path as a loyal warrior."

"Silentclaw! Silentclaw!" Icecloud, Dovewing, Cinderheart, and Jayfeather chanted. The other cats yowled Silentclaw's name.

Poppy became Poppypaw, Jayfeather's apprentice. Lionblaze had never seen the blind cat look so pleased. Thorn became Thornlegs, hence his spiky fur. Minnie became Mouseheart and Bramble became Bramblestep. Red became Redfur, and Ember Emberclaw.

The Clan roared their aproval, each chanting the new warrior names. The sound was loud enough to wake up StarClan. Lionblaze had never felt so proud. "LionClan will thrive," he yowled to his Clan. "LionClan will survive!"

**.**

**and they lived happily ever after**

**TY to the people who submitted OCS. submissions are closed right now, dont send 'em to me**

**remember to review, follow, and favorite**


	4. Chapter 04: Foxfire

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers! Changing Thornlegs' name to Thornfur. We introduce a new POV: Thornfur!**

**.**

_"Get out of my way, Thornfur!"_ snarled Emberclaw. The grey tabby scrambled out of the way. In his jaws he held a mouse.

"Sorry, Emberclaw," he said politely.

"You haven't hunted today, mouse-brain," she spat, snatching the mouse from him.

"And you have?" he countered.

Emberclaw snarled again, flexing her claws. Before she could land a blow, Lionblaze padded up. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Emberclaw is trying to eat prey," Thornfur said immediately. "Before she hunted!"

Lionblaze glared at Emberclaw. "Is this true?" he demanded sharply. Thornfur cringed. He closed his eyes and waited for Lionblaze to yowl in pain when Emberclaw slashed her claws over his nose. But it never came. He opened his eyes to see Emberclaw staring at her paws.

"I'm sorry, Lionblaze," she muttered. "I won't do it again."

"Good," Lionblaze said curtly. He shot Thornfur a curt glare. "Thornfur, I want you to go with Silentclaw and Icecloud. You three are going to patrol the border."

Thornfur's eyes widened. "But... shouldn't you come?" he asked. "Since... you started this Clan and you need to know the territory."

Lionblaze purred. "It's alright, Thornfur. I still have to make sure the warriors are following the rules in camp." With the flick of his tail, he turned around and padded away. As soon as he was out of earshot, Emberclaw whirled on him.

"Don't ever do that again!" she snarled, her eyes blazing. "You nearly embarrased me in front of Lionblaze."

Thornfur blinked. "Why... why do you care for him?"

Emberclaw glared at Thornfur. "This Clan is all I need," she said. "I need protection and food. Snow-tree is nearly here. I don't need Lionblaze thinking I can't pull my weight around here." She snapped her teeth. "Now, get to it!" Her tail flicking, she turned and bounded off.

Thornfur shivered. He knew there was more to Emberclaw's words then she was saying. With a huff, he turned and went to find Icecloud and Silentclaw.

**.**

"Lionblaze told us to mark the trees here," Icecloud meowed. Thornfur was jerked out of his thoughts as the white she-cat marked the oak trees. He quickly copied her, spraying the trees. Silentclaw was rubbing her body over the trees as well.

They were not far from camp - about ten or twenty badger lengths from the rocky gorge. Thornfur had been thinking about Emberclaw ever since they left camp. He could still feel her piercing green gaze on him.

"Stop!" He heard Icecloud yowl. "Intruder!"

He swung his head to see Icecloud chasing down a dark ginger tom. She leaped and grabbed his hindquarters, causing the tom to tumble to the ground.

"Please!" he squealed. "Don't hurt me!"

Icecloud dug her claws into his pelt, and the tom squeaked and squirmed beneath her. "Why are you here?" she growled.

"I heard there were cats living down here," the tom said, his eyes still wide. "I just wanted to see if the stories were true..."

"Yes, they are very true," piped Silentclaw. Thornfur jumped. He hadn't noticed the tabby walk up beside him. "And you are in our territory."

The dark ginger tom narrowed his eyes. "Let me see your leader," he insisted.

"Why?" Thornfur found himself meowing. He almost instantly shrunk underneath the tom's amber eyes.

"That is classified," the tom said with a hiss.

Icecloud snarled and lunged for the tom's throat. Thornfur closed his eyes for the second time today, and waited for the tom's gurgling cry of agony, but it never came. He opened his eyes, and was surprised that Icecloud's jaws were locked around the tom's throat, but not hard enough to kill.

"Classified, huh?" Icecloud spat.

"Please!" the tom begged. "Just take me to him!"

"Fine," growled Icecloud, letting the tom up. "But no funny business."

**.**

Thornfur and the others led the rouge tom into camp. They were instantly met with curious stares. Mouseheart was sharing tongues with Bramblestep, and Redfur was eating a mouse by himself. Jayfeather was leading Poppypaw to his den, jaws stuffed with herbs. Their activity was disturbed when the four cats entered camp.

"Who is that?" snarled Emberclaw. Thornfur hadn't noticed her; she was perched on a large boulder, her lips pulled back in a snarl.

"He's a rouge," Icecloud meowed. Turning to Silentclaw and Thornfur, she added, "Silentclaw, you and Thornfur calm down the Clan. I'll take this rouge to Lionblaze." She led the rouge away.

"I don't like Lionblaze bringing in rouges," Mouseheart meowed loudly. Bramblestep eyed her, but said nothing.

"Last time I checked," Silentclaw growled, "you were all kittypets."

"I wasn't!" Bramblestep snapped. They all looked at Bramblestep in surprise. He never snapped. The tom seemed to notice their surprised stares and shrunk back down.

"Anyway, I'm sure Lionblaze will just nip his nose and send him on his way," Silentclaw said confidently. "We don't need cats wandering into our territory and asking to see our leader."

"How do you expect us to get more members if we never recruit anymore?" Thornfur asked.

Silentclaw shrugged, giving him a sideways glance. "Kits."

Thornfur's eyes widened. "What?" he cried.

Silentclaw sighed. "I don't mean-"

She was interrupted when Lionblaze yowled, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" They all raced eagerly to the ledge and sat down, staring up at their leader expectantly.

"As you all know, this rouge has stumbled apon us," Lionblaze said. The rouge was sitting beside Icecloud, who kept on looking at Lionblaze, and then at him. "I have accepted him as a warrior into LionClan."

"You can't! He's a rouge!"

"He's too young!"

"Chase him out!"

"Leave, you vile mouse-brain!"

"Enough!" Lionblaze roared, and the Clan cats crouched low as his powerful yowl echoed around the gorge. "He will be a LionClan cat, and you will just have to accept it." He beckoned the young cat with his tail. "Fox, you will be a strong and loyal warrior. StarClan shall accept you as a warrior in LionClan." Clearing his throat, he continued. "StarClan, I hope you look apon this warrior with great eyes, for he is ready to become a warrior. Fox, you will be known as Foxfire, a young yet strong warrior of LionClan." He touched his nose to the young tom.

"Foxfire! Foxfire! Foxfire!" Cinderheart, Jayfeather, Icecloud, and Dovewing chanted. The rest of the Clan remained silent, glaring at the newly named warrior.

"Now he's going to give that new warrior all the attention," a cat hissed. Mouseheart.

"Yeah! He's probably going to ignore all of us," growled Redfur.

"We need to get him out of here," said Mouseheart.

Thornfur glared at the two cats. "Lionblaze has made his decision!" he snapped. "You two just need to accept it."

The two cats glared at him. "Oh, so now you're defending him," sneered Mouseheart. "Your just as weak as him."

"I'm not!" Thornfur protested.

"Well, get lost," Redfur said. "Your no friend of ours. Go hang out with your new friend, Foxface!" Mouseheart flicked her tail and Bramblestep, Silentclaw, and Redfur followed her into the forest.

Thornfur's shoulders hunched. He had lost his only friends. He looked up to see Foxfire padding up to him.

"Thanks for defending me," the tom said.

"What?" Thornfur gasped.

"I heard you," Foxfire said. Thornfur looked embarrased. "Don't be upset. They're all mouse-brains. I'll prove them wrong."

Thornfur gave a idle nod. "Yes... good luck with that." Before the new warrior could respond, Thornfur got up and padded away.

**.**

**-cries- nobody lies Foxfire :(**

**Foxfire (c) Foxstar of FoxClan**

**Remember to review and stuff. ^-^**


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